Automatic moving-target shooting gallery



Sept. 11,1928. 1 ;683,808

A. M. ROWE Er AL AUTOMATIC MOVING TARGET SHOOTING GALLERY Filed Sept.20, 1927 INVENTORS, Wm, rQawe 'Q M @0100;

ATTbRNEY.

Patented Sept. 11, 1 92 8.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ABDELLO I. @OWE AND CLAUDE O. ROWE, OFIBELLINGI-IAM, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC MOVING-TARGET SHOOTING GALLERY.

Application filed September 20, 1927. Serial No. 220,649.

and has for an object to provide a shooting gallery in which toyballoons are caused to move continuously in a circuit a part of which iswithin range for target practice.

Another object of our improvement is to provide for adding other toyballoons to said circuit to replace thosedestroyed under fire.

And a furtherobject of our improvement is to provide for the movement ofsaidtargets in erratic and not uniform paths when within.

operated to force air from without the chamrange.

We attain these and other objects of our invention with the structureand mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing,

. which forms apart of this specification, in

" which the front elevation of one form of our invention is shown inperspective. Certain parts are broken away to show other parts hiddenthereby.

More particularly An open-front chamber 1 has pyramidal ceiling 2. Infront of said chamber is counter 3 before which both the I attendant andthemarksmen stand.

Tube 4 connects with a hole in the apex of ceiling 2 and leads acrossthe top of said chamber, down one side thereof and then passes acrossthe open front of the chamber near the floor to connect with the outerend of transverse trunk 5 at hole 6. The other end of trunk 5 connectswith theinlet of casing 7 of exhaust fan a driven by electric motor 8.

In the outer end of trunk 5 through its top v is heavy enough to causevalve 11,82. to as .sume' a horizontal position when free todo so. Therear end of line 15 is fastened in an eye inthe end of crank13, passesthroughlead screw eye a fastened inthefioor and thence to counter 3 overthe top of which its front .end lies within easy reach of the galleryattendant. a I ll Tube 16 connects with hole .17 through the top ofcounter 3 preferably near line 17 and passes downward beneath saidcounter and then rearward'to connect with tube 4 near trunk end (1Hinged cover 18 is adapted to close hole 17 or stand vertically touncover said hole as illustrated.

Outwardly flaring tube 1 9 is connected to a side wall of chamber 1 nearthefront edge thereof and quite near the floor in hole a. In front ofthe outer end of tube 19 is a small ventilating fan 22 driven byelectric motor 21 and mounted on bracket 23. This fan is her within andacross the same.

outwardly flaring tube 24 is connected to the other side wall of chamber1 midway thereof in hole a. In front of the outer end of tube24 is asmall ventilating fan 26 operated by electric motor 25 andmounted 0nbracket 27. This fan is operated to forceair from without the chamberthrough hole a across said chamber.

Designating numbers 2834 indicate sev eral small toy balloons indifferent positions of operation.

It is assumed that fans a, 22 and 26 are in operation. Then, since valvea closes the outer end of trunk 5, exhaustera tends to cause valve 11, ato revolve with shaft 12 to a horizontal position. This movement of saidvalve in a forward revolution is also Balloon 28 is within the trap inthe outer end of trunk 5 and has been prevented from passing further insaid trunk toward fan a Inn to rise through hole 9 out of said trap to aposition at 29. Then itwill proceed upwardtill caught by transverse aircurrents from fan 22 when it willmove diagonally upward toward the leftto posit-ion 30. As it moves upward near the left side wall of thechamber 1 it will come within the influence of transverse air currentsfrom fan 26 through hole a and be driven in an upward andright-handdirection to position 31. Thence it will move upward toposition 32 and pass beneath ceiling 2 to position 33in the apexthereof. In the above description the several balloons appearingin theillustration within the gallery chamber 1, 9. are referred to as severalpositions of the sameballoon. This they may be but for the benefit offurther description they also may be considered asseveral balloonssimultaneously appearing in dilierent positions in elevation and lateraldisposition in chamber 1, 2; since, in practice, it is customary to haveat least the number ot balloons shownin the illustration appearingtogether for target purposes.

When several balloons, as 29, 30, 51 and-32, arewithin range for target{purposes the attendant releasesline which permits valve (r to opencommunication between fana and tubes 4 and 16. At thesame time valve 11eloseshole 9 andair will be drawn into tube l from chamber 1, 2and intotube16through opening 17, if cover 18 is open, as illustrated. Or, itcover 18 is ina horizontal position, closing opening 17, the full effectof exhaust fan a will. be concentrated on tube Land theballoonsappearing in chamber 1, 2 in the illustration Willbesucoessively drawn into tube 4 and delivered therethrough into thetrap against grating 10 as shown at 28. From this positionthey may'bereleased by raisingvalve 11 andolosing valve a ;'-which, as stated, isaccomplished-by pulling 011 line 15. In this manner balloons 2833 are.maintained in circulation through tube 4; and chamber 1, 2 providingtargets for the purposes stated.

When a balloon targetis destroyed under fire it is conveniently replacedwith another balloon and the desired number of targets maintained withinrange by closing valve 11 and opening valve a with tension on line 15andthen feeding in balloon34'through the uncovered opening 17 asillustrated. Assumingthatexhaustfan a is powerful enough tomaintainoperative suction on both of tubes 16 and 4, which it must be inpractice, balloon His drawn through tubelti into tube 4 and thence intothe trap against grating lfl as at 28. From the trap it is releasedunder its own buoyancy by openingvalve 11 and closing valve a flqasexplained, and then takes its place in the circulation of targets toreplenish their number.

Itthus appears" that, with t-he apparatus and appurtenances illustratedand described,

the buoyant targets may be caused to pass "within range overdeviouspaths and their losses ieplenishe'd as the use of the shooting galleryproceeds and all of the operations continuing automatically except forthe assistance'and control which may easily be given by one attendantwhileat the same time attendingtothe' usual duties involved in operatinga shooting gallery. 1

The simple meansdeScYibed are su'fiicient l for the objects oftliisimprovement but their to again pass upward therein.

equivalents are also within theqmrview of our invention.

In practice, most of the apparatus disclosed 1n the drawing 18(EQVBI-GLlQl-"JXSCPQBHS suiliciently resistant to stray bullets toprotect the Having thus disclosed our invention,.what

we claim as new therein and desire toisecnre by Letters Patent 'is,--

1. In a shooting'gallcry the combination oi an open-front chamber andmeans to cause acirculation of'buoyant targets from bQlOWIiIl saidchamber upward through the same and then downward to the saidflowerpartofsaid chamber to again pass upwardttherein.

2. In a shooting gallerythe combination of an open-front chamber, andmeans to cause a circulation of buoyanttargetsrfrombclow in said chamberupward therethrough .in varying and irregular paths and then down: wardto the said lower partof said chamber 3. In a shooting gallery thccombination of an open-front chamber, means to cause a circulation ofbuoyant targets from below in said chamber upward theretln'ough.andlthendownward to the said 10mipart of said chamber to again pass upwardtherein, and

means to introduce otherbuoyanttargets into said circulation from apoint awayrfrom'said chamber during theprogress of sai'd circw" lation.i A

4. A shooting gallery consisting of an openfront chamber having :apeaked :ce iling, a tube leading from the vertex ofsaid-oeiling to anenhauster below said tube. having an escape port in its top nearsaidexhauster, a grating across said tube-near'saltl escape port thereinand between the same anrlsaid exhauster, valves adapted tosimultaneously opensaid escapeport and close said tube between saidgrating andlsaid exhauster and vice versa, andnieans to 'opc rate saidvalves at a distance from said chamber.

5. Ashooting "gallery consisting ,of an open-front chamber havlngapeaked ceiling,

a tube leading from the-vertex of saidmiling to an exhanster below saidtube having an escape port in the top thereof near said exhauster, agrating across said'tube near said escape port therein and betweeni thesame and said exhanster, valves adapted to simnl- 10 'taneously opensaidescapeportandclose said tube between said grating and said exhausteramlviceversa, meansto operate said valves at a distance fromsaidchamber, and ventilating fans on opposite sides of said chamberin 1.

staggered relation adapted to cause wtransverse air current insaid-chamberin opposite directions at different levels. 1

6. A shootinggallery .consis'tingi'of an.

open-front chamber having a peaked: ceiling, 1

a tube leading from the apex of said ceiling to an exhauster below saidtube having an escape port in the top thereof near said exhauster, agrating across said tube near said escape port therein and between thesame and said exhauster, valves adapted to simultaneously open saidescape port and close said tube between said grating and said exhausterand vice versa, means to operate said valves at a distance from saidchamber, a branch tube. leading from a point near the floor in front ofsaid chamber at a distance there-- trance of said branch tube.

ARDELLO M. ROWE, CLAUDE 0., ROWE."

